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Orlando shooting: relatives of those missing wait for news – live Orlando shooting: relatives of those missing wait for news – latest updates
(35 minutes later)
12.08pm BST
12:08
Nadia Khomami
Guardian reporter Nadia Khomami has a nice round-up of tributes to the Orlando victims from across the globe.
On Monday, Paris councillors observed a minute’s silence for the victims of the attack, in which 50 people were killed and 53 injured. Cities across the world held vigils in November 2015 for the 130 who died in attacks in the French capital, often illuminating buildings in the colours of the French national flag.
In London, venues along Old Compton Street, the heart of the UK capital’s gay community, will stop serving at 7pm on Monday and people will be invited out on to the street in solidarity with the LGBT community and the people of Orlando. Rainbow flags in Manchester’s gay village have been lowered to half mast.
Rainbow flags in Manchester's gay village lowered to half mast in respect for the victims of the Orlando shooting pic.twitter.com/rp1YjRtWDZ
12.03pm BST
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Orlando police said the next update is due in about 30 minutes. All updates besides press conferences are coming through the department’s official Twitter account, where police are fending off inaccurate reports.
Press conference is scheduled for 7:30 am same location as yesterday.
Alert: Rumors of multiple shooters are unfounded. The one shooter, Omar Mateen, is dead #OrlandoUnited
11.59am BST
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Just before 5am local time in New York, an hour after the 4am closing time for the city’s bars, a local reporter said police presence outside gay clubs and businesses in the city’s Greenwich Village remained high.
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said security is also being boosted at major LGBT community centers.
Heavy #NYPD presence outside gay bars, businesses #GreenwichVillage NYC on high alert #NBC4NY pic.twitter.com/JZzqyytv3I
On Sunday night, Los Angeles police detained a man who was heading to the city’s LA Pride festival with a carload of weapons.
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An Orlando-based network of LGBT groups, the Zebra Coalition, said that because of the high volume of calls it has received about the shooting, it has opened a new crisis hotline for people looking to speak with a counselor.
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11:3711:37
Halima KazemHalima Kazem
Halima Kazem writes for the Guardian about the gunman’s father, Seddique Mateen, who posted a video early on Monday morning to condemn his son’s actions. He also appeared to suggest it is for God to enact “punishment” against gay people.Halima Kazem writes for the Guardian about the gunman’s father, Seddique Mateen, who posted a video early on Monday morning to condemn his son’s actions. He also appeared to suggest it is for God to enact “punishment” against gay people.
Addressing the people of Afghanistan, Seddique Mateen said in the video: “I don’t know what made him [do this], I have no idea, I had no idea that he felt resentful in his heart and had gone to the gay [he uses the derogatory word hamjensbazi] club and killed men and women there.Addressing the people of Afghanistan, Seddique Mateen said in the video: “I don’t know what made him [do this], I have no idea, I had no idea that he felt resentful in his heart and had gone to the gay [he uses the derogatory word hamjensbazi] club and killed men and women there.
“I am very sad and I’ve announced this to the American people as well. Why did he do this act during this holy month of Ramadan. On the topic of beinghamjensbazi, punishment and the things that they do, God will give the punishment. This is not the issue for a follower of God and he [Omar] that did this has greatly saddened me. I wanted you to know this. God give all youth complete health to keep the real path of the holy religion of Islam in mind.”“I am very sad and I’ve announced this to the American people as well. Why did he do this act during this holy month of Ramadan. On the topic of beinghamjensbazi, punishment and the things that they do, God will give the punishment. This is not the issue for a follower of God and he [Omar] that did this has greatly saddened me. I wanted you to know this. God give all youth complete health to keep the real path of the holy religion of Islam in mind.”
11.22am BST11.22am BST
11:2211:22
Sean FarrellSean Farrell
The Guardian’s posted its latest report on G4S, the security firm that had employed Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, since 2007:The Guardian’s posted its latest report on G4S, the security firm that had employed Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, since 2007:
G4S shares dropped by as much as 7.5% and were the biggest fallers among leading UK shares. The company employs 620,000 people in more than 110 countries and the US is one of its biggest markets.G4S shares dropped by as much as 7.5% and were the biggest fallers among leading UK shares. The company employs 620,000 people in more than 110 countries and the US is one of its biggest markets.
Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets, a City spread betting firm, said it did not look good for G4S to have employed Mateen while he was being investigated by the FBI.Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets, a City spread betting firm, said it did not look good for G4S to have employed Mateen while he was being investigated by the FBI.
“G4S has more than 50,000 employees in the US, a large proportion of which are involved in government contracts. If the name of G4S starts getting dragged through the mud, US contracts may become harder to come by.”“G4S has more than 50,000 employees in the US, a large proportion of which are involved in government contracts. If the name of G4S starts getting dragged through the mud, US contracts may become harder to come by.”
The company, whose activities range from supplying bodyguards and guarding buildings to running prisons and clearing mines, has been dogged by controversy. Two years ago it agreed to repay the UK government £109m after it overcharged for the electronic tagging of offenders.The company, whose activities range from supplying bodyguards and guarding buildings to running prisons and clearing mines, has been dogged by controversy. Two years ago it agreed to repay the UK government £109m after it overcharged for the electronic tagging of offenders.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.23am BSTat 11.23am BST
11.06am BST11.06am BST
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It’s just after 6am in Orlando, where investigators have been working around the clock to piece together details on Sunday night’s shooting.It’s just after 6am in Orlando, where investigators have been working around the clock to piece together details on Sunday night’s shooting.
What we know:What we know:
• A gunman named as Omar Mateen killed 50 people and left 53 others injured, many seriously, in a 2am attack on LGBT nightclub the Pulse, in Orlando, Florida. After an hours-long standoff, police stormed the building, killed the gunman and rescued about 30 hostages.• A gunman named as Omar Mateen killed 50 people and left 53 others injured, many seriously, in a 2am attack on LGBT nightclub the Pulse, in Orlando, Florida. After an hours-long standoff, police stormed the building, killed the gunman and rescued about 30 hostages.
• Mateen legally purchased an assault rifle and handgun in the last week, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms said. Questions have been raised over why he was allowed to buy the weapons.• Mateen legally purchased an assault rifle and handgun in the last week, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms said. Questions have been raised over why he was allowed to buy the weapons.
• Of the 50 people who died in the attack, 21 have been identified. According to Orlando Police, the youngest named victim was 20-years-old and the eldest was 50. More victims are expected to be identified throughout the day once next of kin have been notified.• Of the 50 people who died in the attack, 21 have been identified. According to Orlando Police, the youngest named victim was 20-years-old and the eldest was 50. More victims are expected to be identified throughout the day once next of kin have been notified.
• Survivors and the families of victims recalled horrific stories of how the attack unfolded, and many waited in fear and anticipation to learn whether their loved ones were victims.• Survivors and the families of victims recalled horrific stories of how the attack unfolded, and many waited in fear and anticipation to learn whether their loved ones were victims.
• Mateen’s ex-wife said he was “obviously disturbed” and that he beat her and held her hostage during their short marriage.• Mateen’s ex-wife said he was “obviously disturbed” and that he beat her and held her hostage during their short marriage.
• Barack Obama declared the attack “an act of terror and an act of hate”. He lamented that the shooting occurred in a place of security and celebration. “We have to decide whether that’s the kind of country we want to be.,” he said. “To actively do nothing is a decision as well.”• Barack Obama declared the attack “an act of terror and an act of hate”. He lamented that the shooting occurred in a place of security and celebration. “We have to decide whether that’s the kind of country we want to be.,” he said. “To actively do nothing is a decision as well.”
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Related: Orlando terror attack front pages – in picturesRelated: Orlando terror attack front pages – in pictures
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Richard LuscombeRichard Luscombe
Richard Luscombe spoke with shooting survivors in Orlando about the scene inside Pulse on Sunday.Richard Luscombe spoke with shooting survivors in Orlando about the scene inside Pulse on Sunday.
“You’re sitting there having a great time at a club and you hear what sounds like fireworks and balloons popping, and you assume it’s part of the show,” one clubgoer who escaped the carnage told reporters.“You’re sitting there having a great time at a club and you hear what sounds like fireworks and balloons popping, and you assume it’s part of the show,” one clubgoer who escaped the carnage told reporters.
“And then you hear people start screaming, the sound doesn’t stop and people start falling, you realise it’s not a show any more. People were screaming and falling and the shots wouldn’t stop. You realise it’s not the celebration you thought it was.”“And then you hear people start screaming, the sound doesn’t stop and people start falling, you realise it’s not a show any more. People were screaming and falling and the shots wouldn’t stop. You realise it’s not the celebration you thought it was.”
Many other survivors, such as Carson Wells, Christopher Hansen and Luis Burbano, were also all slow to comprehend what the sounds meant, or the horror that was already beginning to unfold all around them.Many other survivors, such as Carson Wells, Christopher Hansen and Luis Burbano, were also all slow to comprehend what the sounds meant, or the horror that was already beginning to unfold all around them.
Wells, who was partying with a group of friends in a back room at the club when Mateen burst in, said: “It felt like it was part of the DJ mix that was playing, just part of the music.Wells, who was partying with a group of friends in a back room at the club when Mateen burst in, said: “It felt like it was part of the DJ mix that was playing, just part of the music.
“When I realised it wasn’t I just ran out of the back. I didn’t look back.” He said three of his friends were hit by bullets but none suffered life-threatening injuries.“When I realised it wasn’t I just ran out of the back. I didn’t look back.” He said three of his friends were hit by bullets but none suffered life-threatening injuries.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.28am BSTat 11.28am BST
10.36am BST10.36am BST
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As vigils for the victims were held across the globe, LGBT people rallied online with #GaysBreaktheInternet.As vigils for the victims were held across the globe, LGBT people rallied online with #GaysBreaktheInternet.
I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. No matter what anyone thinks of me #GaysBreakTheInternet pic.twitter.com/fs122qZ3KtI'm here and I'm not going anywhere. No matter what anyone thinks of me #GaysBreakTheInternet pic.twitter.com/fs122qZ3Kt
#gaysbreaktheinternet violence will not silence us to share our love❤️💛💚💙💜 pic.twitter.com/nMtnvvgH26#gaysbreaktheinternet violence will not silence us to share our love❤️💛💚💙💜 pic.twitter.com/nMtnvvgH26
#GaysBreakTheInternet You got my front I got your back 😍 pic.twitter.com/I5IYiW64T1#GaysBreakTheInternet You got my front I got your back 😍 pic.twitter.com/I5IYiW64T1
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The Guardian’s published an editorial on the Orlando attack:The Guardian’s published an editorial on the Orlando attack:
The awful truth is that American society is vulnerable to these attacks in a way that others are not because of its belief that freedom requires easy, widespread access to lethal weapons. While it is true that guns don’t kill people, as the slogan has it, people with guns do kill people, and they do so much more quickly and effectively than people without guns can manage.The awful truth is that American society is vulnerable to these attacks in a way that others are not because of its belief that freedom requires easy, widespread access to lethal weapons. While it is true that guns don’t kill people, as the slogan has it, people with guns do kill people, and they do so much more quickly and effectively than people without guns can manage.
There have been 43 mass shootings in the US in the past 10 years, those in which more than four people were killed in a public space. Very few of them had recognisable ideological causes. Some occurred in states, such as Florida, where it is legal for almost anyone who applies for a licence to walk around with concealed, lethal weapons – something which does not in practice save anyone’s life if bullets start flying, but which is felt as a reassurance until they do.There have been 43 mass shootings in the US in the past 10 years, those in which more than four people were killed in a public space. Very few of them had recognisable ideological causes. Some occurred in states, such as Florida, where it is legal for almost anyone who applies for a licence to walk around with concealed, lethal weapons – something which does not in practice save anyone’s life if bullets start flying, but which is felt as a reassurance until they do.
10.11am BST10.11am BST
10:1110:11
Paris’s official Twitter account posted a tribute to Orlando on Sunday night. The Florida shooting drew immediate comparisons to the killing of 89 people in Paris’s Bataclan theatre in December.Paris’s official Twitter account posted a tribute to Orlando on Sunday night. The Florida shooting drew immediate comparisons to the killing of 89 people in Paris’s Bataclan theatre in December.
Paris stands with #Orlando, we are thinking of you #lovewins pic.twitter.com/uYJrSRW0ObParis stands with #Orlando, we are thinking of you #lovewins pic.twitter.com/uYJrSRW0Ob
France’s national football team posted the same tribute on Monday morning.France’s national football team posted the same tribute on Monday morning.
Le football est parfois peu de choses. Pensées pour #Orlando Together we stand. #USA pic.twitter.com/3zu74faqAqLe football est parfois peu de choses. Pensées pour #Orlando Together we stand. #USA pic.twitter.com/3zu74faqAq
10.00am BST
10:00
Questions have been raised about how a man who the FBI investigated twice for suspected sympathies with terrorists could be able to purchase a gun. The shooter, Omar Mateen, legally purchased an assault rifle and handgun in the week before the shooting, which left 50 people dead and 53 injured.
The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington and Richard Luscombe report from Orlando:
Sunday’s attack was launched by Mateen using a .223-caliber assault rifle and 9mm semi-automatic pistol with multiple rounds of ammunition that had been purchased quite lawfully in the week before the rampage using Mateen’s firearms license.
He also held a permit to work as a security guard, which he did at a courthouse in Port St Lucie, Florida, even though he was interviewed three times by the FBI in 2013 and 2014 following separate reports of extremist behavior and connections to terrorism that were in the end deemed insubstantial.
The revelation that the bloodiest mass shooting in history had been carried out by an American-born individual on the FBI’s radar is likely to reignite the debate over the country’s lax gun laws with regard to people under investigation for terrorism.
9.46am BST
09:46
The Orlando Sentinel’s front-page editorial on the shooting describes how the city has always been a target for terrorism because it is a popular tourist destination, but on Sunday, Orlando’s “worst fears have been realized”:
We will not — we must not — let Sunday’s heinous act of brutality and cowardice define our community.
As terror has struck other cities around the world in recent months — Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino — our shock and anger have been mixed with a growing sense of unease. Orlando, as one of the world’s most popular and iconic destinations for travelers, and a community that proudly cherishes its diversity, has long been considered a high-value target for would-be terrorists.
The @orlandosentinel's front page tomorrow: #OrlandoUnited pic.twitter.com/ZqS9jiOqAG
9.33am BST
09:33
The Orlando Sentinel’s NBA reporter, Josh Robbins, said the basketball league will hold a moment of silence in recognition of the shooting at the fifth game of the NBA championships on Monday night in Oakland, California.
The NBA will hold a moment of silence in recognition of the #Orlando tragedy before Game 5 of The Finals, a league spokesman said.
Meanwhile, congressman Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, said he would not attend another “moment of silence” for shooting victims because of his outrage over weak gun control laws in the US.
I will not attend one more"Moment of Silence" on the Floor. Our silence does not honor the victims, it mocks them. pic.twitter.com/VWWdOkliWN
9.20am BST
09:20
More names added to victims list
Orlando police have updated the victims list with six new names:
The 15 victims named previously are: Edward Sotomayor Jr, 34; Stanley Almodovar III, 23; Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20; Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22; Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36; Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22; Luis S. Vielma, 22; Kimberly Morris, 37; Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30; Darryl Roman Burt II, 29; Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32; Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21; Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25; Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35; Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50.
Updated
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9.07am BST
09:07
You can share photos, videos or stories of vigils and reaction where you are by clicking on the blue GuardianWitness contribute button at the top of this blog.
Candlelight vigil in SF turned into a march to City Hall
Sent via Guardian Witness
By kmterry
13 June 2016, 7:04
9.01am BST
09:01
Orlando gay bar, club and hotel, Parliament House, has use its famous neon sign to share a message of solidarity with Pulse nightclub.
Orlando pic.twitter.com/BXfa65HoKm
Nearly 200 people attended a vigil at Parliament House on Sunday night.
8.52am BST
08:52
Sean Farrell
Guardian business reporter, Sean Farrell, reports that shares have fallen at G4S, the employer of the Orlando nightclub shooter:
Shares of G4S, the UK security company, fell heavily on Monday after it said Omar Mateen had worked for it since 2007. G4S shares dropped as much as 6% and were the biggest fallers of the 350 biggest British companies.
G4S, the world’s biggest security firm, said Mateen carried a gun as part of his duties and that it was trying to establish whether any weapons used in the attack were related to his employment. The company said it had screened Mateen as recently as 2013 with “no findings”, Reuters reported.
8.45am BST
08:45
Authorities have started to release the names of those killed at an Orlando nightclub on Sunday as next of kin are notified.
The Guardian’s Jessica Glenza, reporting from Orlando, has more on some of the 50 victims:
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22, had only told his family he was gay before the New Year, his cousin told the Associated Press.
“He was never the type to go out to parties, would rather stay home and care for his niece and nephew,” his cousin Robert Guerrero said. He said Juan Ramon Guerrero was a telemarketer, and recently began attending school at the University of Central Florida. “He was always this amazing person ... he was like a big brother to me.”
Edward Sotomayor, 34, was a brand manager who had invited his friend Al Ferguson to the club on Sunday night. “He was super bright,” said Ferguson, owner of the Al and Chuck Travel, an agency focused on booking vacations for gay men, about his former employee, Sotomayor, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Ferguson told the Sentinel that Sotomayor, knowing the perils that gay, lesbian and transgender travelers could face because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, didn’t shy away from exploring.
“What I will say, over and over again, was he was a person who said, ‘We cannot be afraid,’” Ferguson told the Sentinel. “I know his friends are going to be the exact same way … We are not going to be afraid.”
8.33am BST
08:33
Congressman Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, condemned the national regulation prohibiting sexually active gay men from donating blood. Polis is one of the only openly gay men in Congress.
“I’m … hopeful that we can remove the ban that the FDA has on gay people donating blood, because guess what? Many of the spouses and loved ones of the victims who need blood can’t even donate blood right now,” Polis told Denver news channel 9News. “It’s just a double tragedy that so many are facing the shortage of blood.”
Orlando-area blood donation centers were so overwhelmed by donations on Sunday that some would-be donors were turned away and asked to return in the next few days.
8.21am BST
08:21
A day after the deadliest mass shooting in US history, relatives and friends of those caught up the attack on an LBGT nightclub in Orlando, Florida, are still waiting for news of their loved ones. Sunday’s attack on the Pulse nightclub - which left 50 people dead and 53 injured – was launched by 29-year-old Omar Mateen, who made a 911 call 20 minutes into his killing spree, in which he reportedly spoke of the Islamic State terror group and the Tsarnaevs, the brothers who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013.
Among other developments since the attack:
• Questions are mounting over why Mateen was able to legally buy an assault rifle and handgun despite having been investigated twice by the FBI for suspected terrorist sympathies.
• New York City’s police commissioner, Bill Bratton, fiercely criticized the National Rifle Association, the most powerful gun lobby in the country, that has campaigned to prevent people named on the US government no-fly list from being barred from purchasing guns.
• Mateen’s former wife has told reporters that he was physically abusive towards her, had mental health issues and was “obviously disturbed, deeply, and traumatised”.
• Barack Obama, declared the attack “an act of terror and an act of hate” as the national flag was lowered to half-mast over the White House.
• Authorities released the first names of victims, including: The first fifteen people named were Edward Sotomayor Jr, Stanley Almodovar III, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, Juan Ramon Guerrero, Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, Luis S. Vielma, Kimberly Morris, Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, Luis S. Vielma, Kimberly Morris, Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 3Darryl Roman Burt II, Deonka Deidra Drayton, Alejandro Barrios Martinez, Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez.
• Mateen bought a long gun and a handgun legally in the last week, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms said. Questions have been raised over why he was allowed to buy the weapons.
• Muslim American leaders, LGBT groups, Pope Francis and others condemned the horrific attack, and urged Americans to rally together. The FBI solicited the public for tips to aid the investigation, blood banks asked for donations around the US, and a fundraising campaign for victims’ medical bills raised $416,000. Authorities set up hotlines for information and campaigns for donations.
• A US official told the Guardian the attack may have been a “massive hate crime”. Mateen’s father told NBC News that his son had become enraged by a gay couple kissing.